


you (it's always been you)

by avonleafiles



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Pen Pals, Slow Burn, but you have to wait for it idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22621576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avonleafiles/pseuds/avonleafiles
Summary: A modern day college AU.Anne has always wanted to be a writer but she feels insecure about the story she's writing. When the stranger finds her story by accident, she finds an unexpected pen pal. Can someone she's never met be a kindred spirit?And what will happen when Anne finds out her new pen pal is actually her sworn enemy?
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 99
Kudos: 146





	1. Lost Cordelia

„Diana! Oh my God, Diana!“ Anne yelled while she was frantically looking through her backpack. “Have you seen my red notebook anywhere?”

“Which notebook?” Diana walked out of the bathroom they shared in their dorm room at Queens College and looked at Anne with a confused expression on her face. “Do you mean your journal?”

“It’s not my journal!”

“Well, you’re the one who refuses to tell me what’s in it. I can only assume.”

“That is really not important right now. Have you _seen_ it anywhere?” Anne looked more and more distressed with every second passing. The whole room was turned upside down, pillows were everywhere but on their places on their beds, all of Anne’s bags were emptied, and her desk was an absolute mess.

“This can’t be happening,” she muttered. Truth to be told, Anne considered her red notebook to be one of her most prized possessions. Not only because Matthew had gifted it to her when she had left for Queens, but also because its content was one of her most guarded secret. Not even Diana knew about the story Anne was writing.

Sure, everyone knew Anne was a gifted writer, she was the head of university newspaper and her articles were always among the most read ones on their website. She was proud of her accomplishments, but she wasn’t ready to share the story she was writing with the world. Not yet, at least. It was a part of her, her own made-up world and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Writing into notebook instead of just typing it into her laptop felt much more intimate and personal and Anne preferred it that way. Or at least she had until it – as it looked like at that moment – disappeared.

“I can’t find it anywhere. I can’t believe I lost it! Oh Diana! My worst nightmare is coming true…” 

“Anne, Anne, stop,” Diana walked to Anne and touched her hand. “Calm down. I’m sure it’s somewhere here, you never let it out of your sight.”

“No! I looked everywhere! It’s lost forever and I’m stupid enough to never back up anything I write by hand. I hate myself so much right now!”

“Anne, calm down. I don’t know what’s in that notebook because you’ve never told me,” Diana said slightly annoyed by the fact that her best friend wouldn’t share this secret with her. “But it’s obviously very important to you, so let’s think rationally and we’ll find it, okay? Where is the last place you remember having it?”

“I don’t know! I had it with me in class and then I was writing in a library, so I definitely still had it with me… and then… I don’t remember? I went to a coffee shop down the street to work on my literature assignment and I really don’t remember whether I had with me… I don’t know.”

“Let’s go to the library then. But…” she hesitated not knowing whether she should continue. “Why are you so secretive about it? I thought we tell each other everything.”

Anne turned to look at Diana who was speaking so silently she could barely hear her. She hated that she wasn’t ready to share this part of her with her bosom friend. “Oh, Diana, dear! It’s not like it’s a secret but if I told you what I’m writing you would want to read it and I don’t think it’s good enough for anyone to read. Yet! I promise you’ll be the first one with whom I’ll share my story once it’s done and once I’m satisfied with the result… Well, provided I’ll find it… Ughhh, I’m SO stupid.”

“Okay. Make sure I’ll be first to read it, all right? If we want to check the library, it’s highest time we go. It’s getting late,” Diana said checking her phone. “I’m sure you left it there, you’re always so forgetful when you’re around books.”

“Well, can you really blame?” Anne grabbed her jacket and ran after her best friend.

*****

They got to the library ten minutes before closing time, both of them catching their breath. Before they had a chance to get inside, the entrance door opened and the boy that walked out was probably the only person in the world that Anne couldn’t stand no matter how hard she tried.

“Hey Carrots!” he said with a smirk as soon as he noticed Anne and the state she was in. “Were you running? Don’t worry those books won’t run away from you.”

Gilbert Blythe was the most infuriating person Anne had ever met. In fact, she had never hated anyone as much as she hated him. What had started as an innocent childhood rivalry had turned into mutual hatred and Anne just couldn’t get rid of him. As if it wasn’t enough that he was her closest neighbour back in Avonlea, his dorm room was facing hers and Anne was forced to see his incredibly annoying face almost every day.

“Blythe,” hissed Anne with the fake smile on her face. “And here I thought I could have one day without seeing your ugly face.”

“Oh, you love seeing my face. How’s it going, Shirley? Miss me in class?”

“Sure, haven’t you heard? I’ve been crying ever since September because I can’t hear your obnoxious remarks every few minutes anymore and…”

“Anne,” Diana tugged her sleeve. “They’re closing soon, we should go. Bye, Gilbert.”

“Bye, Diana. See you, Shirley.”

“Yeah, in your nightmares when I’ll come to haunt you,” Anne muttered under her nose unaware that Gilbert could still hear her.

“There too,” he smiled over his shoulder.

“Actually, you know what…” Anne turned around red in face and ready to rush after him. Fortunately, Diana was there to catch her best friend's arm and drag her into the library.

“You should have let me go, Diana,” Anne exclaimed as they entered the building. “Have you seen that smirk on his face? Does he think he can make fun of me? OF ME?”

“Aren’t you two tired of this already? Anyway, you know what… don’t answer this. We’ve come for your notebook, remember?”

“Oh, yes. Of course, I didn’t forget, I just don’t understand why he must be around to vex me all the time. It’s beyond annoying, I was looking forward college and not seeing him ever again, yet here he is every single day as if…”

“Where were you sitting when you were here this afternoon? I think we should look there first and then we can ask at the main desk whether they’ve found it,” Diana was tired of Anne’s and Gilbert’s never-ending quarrels. Although she and Gilbert weren’t as close as she and Anne were, they were both her friends and seeing them endlessly picking up fights with one another was so exhausting that she had decided to ignore them a long time ago. Of course, it wasn’t always that easy with Anne constantly complaining about every stupid thing Gilbert had ever done or said.

They searched the library but there was no sign of Anne’s notebook. She couldn’t understand why would anyone take it. After all, it was nothing but an old, shabby notebook full of hardly readable handwriting. It had no real value for anyone who wasn't Anne.

“Maybe someone took it because they’re planning to give it back to you,” said Diana.

“I was writing under _nom de plume._ ”

“Why would you do that? No one but you has ever seen what’s in that notebook. What was the point of using a pseudonym?” Diana loved her friend dearly but it was no secret that sometimes she couldn’t really understand Anne’s dramatics. 

“It just felt more mysterious and… romantic. Not that it’s important now,” Anne muttered heading to the main desk.

Unfortunately, lady working behind the desk couldn’t help them and Anne – as she dramatically exclaimed – was in the depths of despair. All her hard work lost just like that. She didn’t even noticed Diana leaving her side and heading to the Lost & Found carbon box that was placed right next to the main desk. There, on the top of sunglasses and scarves laid Anne’s little notebook.

*****

Back in their room, Anne was beyond excited to have her work back and she couldn't quite believe her luck. She was opening the notebook, ready to continue working on her carefully-crafted story, when the note fell out of it.

_Hey Rosamund!_

_(Is it really your name? I can't tell.)_

_I hope you’ve found your notebook and me putting it into Lost and Found box wasn’t a bad idea._

_Anyway, is there any chance you could keep me updated on your story? I need to know what happens next! Is Cordelia the lost princess? I was so disappointed when the story suddenly ended unfinished and I was left with the cliffhanger. I swear, I’m hooked!_

_You see, I came to the library to study, but I ended up reading your story and I couldn’t make myself stop, so if I fail my exam tomorrow it’s on you! Unless you’d be willing to send me updates? In that case, you’re already forgiven._

_Okay, anyway... I really hope you’ve got it back because it would be a shame if such a wonderful story got lost and left unfinished. I’m attaching my e-mail in case you decide to write me back._

_cordeliasnumberonefan@gmail.com_

Anne stared dumbfounded at the messy handwriting, having no idea what to do.


	2. The Offer

_Hi!_

_This is so strange, isn’t it? Did you really set up an e-mail address specially for me to be able to send you updates?_

_First of all, thank you for leaving my notebook on the Lost and Found pile. Thankfully, I was able to retrieve it._

_To answer your question, no, my name indeed isn’t Rosamond, but would you mind if I haven’t told you my actual name? After all, you haven’t told me yours either and writing under a pseudonym is much more satisfying. It creates some illusion of mystery, don’t you think?_

_I also prefer not knowing who you are and whether I know you in real life, simply because I feel very weird about this all. Would you believe that you’re actually the first person who read my story? Now, I have to let my best friend read it because I promised her, she would be the first one!_

_Did you really read the whole thing? It must have taken you at least an hour to do so, not to mention that my handwriting is not that easy to read. I’m going to be honest with you, this came as a shock because I was so determined to not show it to anyone and suddenly some stranger tells me they like my little story._

_Will I send you the update? Let me think… maybe? That notebook is the only copy that I have (yes, I am that dumb), so sending you another chapter means that I’d have to make an effort to create a digital copy. Although, the idea that you have no idea who I am and that your feedback is genuine is somehow freeing… so I might just do that._

_Good luck on your exam! I hope you managed to study after all and my story haven’t distracted you too much, haha._

_Rosamond_

_P.S: I’m not used to writing casual e-mails but doesn’t it all feel kind of formal and mystical… and kind of ancient? I think I like it more than texting._

_****_

Next day, Anne told Diana everything about the mysterious note and her best friend found this whole situation extremely hilarious. They spent majority of the morning analyzing the note, making up theories about its author and deciding whether it was written by a guy or a girl. Diana was sure it was a guy because no girl could have such a messy handwriting, but Anne was convinced the letter was written by a girl. She didn’t think some random guy would enjoy her writing about princess warriors and their exciting adventures.

As expected, Diana now insisted on reading the story and Anne didn’t have much choice in that matter. Although, she made her promise to not tell a world about it to any of their other friends. They all loved Anne’s writing but the fact that some stranger had stumbled upon her story and enjoyed it didn’t mean she was ready to share it with more people. And she definitely didn’t want them to know about the mysterious note because knowing them, that news would spread like a wildfire and their teasing would be unbearable.

She didn’t even know whether that person would reply to her e-mail, in which, as she hoped, she didn’t sound too excited. She didn't want to scare them away so soon. She'd been restless all day and she couldn’t wait for her classes to be over so she could check whether she got any new mail.

Determined to not log into her newly made e-mail address before she’s safely back in her room, she was walking down the hallway of her dorm and she didn’t even notice the tall figure leaning on her dorm frame until she quite literally bumped into them. “Ugh, what…” she started looking up to see who it was. “Of course! Why am I even surprised? What do you want?”

“Hey… umm, can we talk?” Anne wasn’t used to seeing Gilbert Blythe nervous, but in that moment, he visibly wasn’t his usual confident self.

“Why? Were you waiting here for me? How did you know my classes are over at this time?”

“I asked Diana. It’s not important, I really need to talk to you. Believe me, I’d rather I didn’t have to but I’m afraid, you’re the only one who can help me with this.” To give him credit, he really seemed as someone who wasn’t comfortable in that situation and Anne muttering _traitor_ at the mention of Diana's name definitely didn’t help him to calm down. He hated being there.

“You could’ve texted me.” Under normal circumstances, Anne would never let Gilbert have her number, but because she often babysat Gilbert’s niece Delphine, she needed a way to reach him in case something happened, and Bash with Mary weren’t available. As much as she loved baby Dellie, she hated that some forced interaction with Gilbert came with it as a package deal. Thankfully, she'd never had to actually use it.

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t have ignored me? Please, Anne, can we just go inside? It will only take a couple of minutes.”

“You’re funny if you think I’ll let you into my room.”

“Fine, we can go to mine.”

“I’m NOT entering your room. Ever! Tell me what you want or just leave me alone,” Anne didn’t understand why Gilbert would want to talk to her. Except for their mutual friends and their families being quite close, there was nothing they had in common.

“Let’s not do this right now,” Gilbert said in a low, tired voice. “Can we go down to the coffee shop then?”

“Just tell me what you want from me, Gilbert.”

He started at her for good half a minute, not knowing how to react. “Fine,” he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure if you know but Bash and Mary will celebrate their wedding anniversary next weekend…”

“Yes, I’m aware. I talk to them, you know.”

“Can I finish?” the annoyance in his tone was becoming more and more noticeable and it almost matched Anne’s own irritated voice. She stiffly nodded at him to continue. “I booked them a room near beach so they can enjoy a short vacation as a gift, but before they leave for the weekend, I’d love to throw them a small surprise party. Just family and friends, no one else. And, well, I kind of need some help… I’ve already talked to Marilla and Matthew about it and they think the idea is great, they even let me to throw it at your house. The problem is that they’re so busy with farm and business, they cannot really help me with organization, so I wondered… well, despite what two of us think about each other… you’re close with Mary and Bash and so I wondered… whether you would… be... willing to... help… me?”

Gilbert was talking untypically fast and even Anne had to pay close attention to understand everything he was saying. When he finished, she just glared at him.

“Well, ehm,” for the first time ever, Anne was left speechless in front of Gilbert Blythe not knowing what to say him. She was usually full of rage every time she was forced to spend any amount of time with him, but this was just unbearably awkward. “I mean… I don’t hate the idea… I love Mary… and Bash… and it will take place at Green Gables, so… it makes sense? I guess. But two of us? Working together? We can barely stand each other for few minutes. How can you think it’s a good idea?”

“I mean,” Gilbert scratched the back of his head, his awkward expression mirroring that of Anne’s. “I don’t wanna make it seem like I’ve just thrown money on some catering service, it’s supposed to be... you know, from us. People who love them. And… well, Mary values those things and I can’t even cook, you’re… so much better at this kind of stuff then I am.”

Gilbert was looking everywhere but at Anne and his ears were turning red. She, on the other hand, kept staring at him. “You want me to… cook?”

“Yes, and to help me with the organization. It’s going to be small, but they deserve it and… as much as I hate it, I need your help. You know it. I wouldn’t ask you… I swear, I don’t like asking you… but you’re the only one who’s as close to them as I am, so…”

“Well,” Anne was trying hard to stay calm. Her instincts were telling her to react abruptly and unreasonably whenever Gilbert was around. Everything about him irritated her but she reminded herself that this wasn’t about him. She valued the friendship she had with Mary and Bash, she loved them and Delphine dearly and she had to admit that the idea to celebrate them and their wedding anniversary was great, even when it came from someone as horrible as Gilbert.

“Can I… get back to you on that?” she asked. “I need to check something.”

“Sure. Just don’t take too long.”

“I won’t,” she muttered, but Gilbert was already closing the door to his room leaving Anne standing alone in front of hers.

****

_Dear Rosamond,_

_yes, I did! I figured that it would be only fair if you didn’t know my identity considering I don’t know yours!_

_I will disappoint you with my answer, but I have no idea whether writers’ pseudonyms create mysterious atmosphere. I’ve always thought they’re mainly practical but I’m no writer myself so I’m going to trust you on that._

_I’m glad that your story found its way back to you. But is this old notebook really the only place where you keep your extraordinary work? Who else in 21 st century does that? C’mon! I truly am horrified. _

_I can’t believe you haven’t let anyone read your work, but I am honoured to be the first one to do so (although I did it without permission. I’m sorry? Except I’m really not, it IS that great) And yes, of course I read the whole thing. You left it on my favourite studying spot so I guess, it must have been fate. Not that I believe in fate, but you must admit, there is something about it. Do you believe in such things?_

_The exam went well, thanks for your concern ha. It obviously hasn’t been graded yet, but I have a good feeling about it._

_Please, do consider sending me the next chapter. No pressure, but I’d be very disappointed if you haven’t. There’s something about your writing that really draws me in. I don’t know, I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s the way you express yourself. Anyway… I’m glad that you replied._

_I’m looking forward to hearing from you (and your story), dear pen pal._

_B (As you can see fake names are not my specialty, maybe you can give me one)_

_P.S: It really does sound formal. Who am I? I’ve never written a letter to anyone until now and yes, I kind of like it, too._

Anne was smiling at her screen as she was reading the message. Whoever B was, she was sure they were a kindred spirit. She was so upset about Gilbert and his offer but at least her new pen pal came to the rescue and they took her mind away from him for a little while. She clicked on _reply_ and started writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> Thank you so much for your kudos and comments <3 They really made my days. 
> 
> Please keep them coming and let me know whether I should continue this story. 
> 
> Is Gilbert really Anne's secret pen pal?? Who knows. Anyway... 
> 
> English is not my first language and this wasn't edited, so please excuse any mistakes that you might find in the text.


	3. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make it make sense why GIlbert and Bash are living together in 21st century, in this story, Bash was adopted by Gilbert's parents years before Gilbert was born. When their dad passed away, Gilbert was still a minor and Bash naturally became his legal guardian. 
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

_Hi,_

_of course, I can’t possibly give you a fake name! I don’t even know you. But you’re right, I am good at that. Actually, years ago, I used to have a story club with my friends, and I made up nom de plume for every single one of us. It was quite entertaining, and I enjoyed it immensely._

_Don’t be horrified! I love technology, but I love writing by hand as well. When I write my stories, the outside world stops existing for me and writing it on laptop would be too distracting. My best friend is mad at me because I tend to leave my phone on silent every single time, and no one can reach me then._

_I’ve never really intended my story to be read by someone else than me, anyway. It’s more like a sort of therapy than me trying to become a published author (I would LOOOVE to be one someday, but I don’t feel ready yet). That said, I am glad you read it. You don’t have to feel sorry at all._

_Wait… Are you really telling me the place where you found my notebook is your favourite studying spot? It’s MY favourite studying spot and I have spent so much time over there in the last couple of months! Is it possible we met? That would be insane. What if we know each other in real life? What if we study next to each other on daily basis?_

_I still don’t want to know, though. If I knew who you are and if you knew who I am, it would just make things awkward._

_I decided I will send you my new chapter, but you have to be patient. There may be some unexpected things and events that may interfere with my free time and therefore, my writing time._

_We can keep emailing each other, though._

_Make sure to let me know about your exam results! I would hate it if you failed because you read my stupid story, but it’s good that you have a good feeling about it._

_I need to end it here. My roommate returned from her classes and she’s giving me a weird look. I have to find out what’s that about, she’s really dangerous when she gets angry lol._

_-R_

_*****_

“So, are you going to help him?” Diana asked after Anne finished telling her about the conversation she had with Gilbert.

When Anne was finishing writing her e-mail, Diana stormed into the room and she was clearly pissed off. Some of their neighbours had told her about Anne and Gilbert arguing in the middle of the hall and Anne had no choice but to tell her about Gilbert’s idea of throwing a party to Lacroixes.

“I don’t know. I think it’s a nice thing to do for Mary and Bash and you know how much I adore them and baby Delphine. I hate that it wasn’t my idea,” Anne said. “We weren’t arguing, though. I don’t know who’s spreading those rumours about me around here, but they clearly misread the situation. We were quite civil.”

Diana only raised her eyebrows and Anne knew she wasn’t convinced by what she said. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Gilbert had been really civil with each other. It had been ages.

“But I think I’m gonna do it,” Anne shrugged her shoulders. “Mary’s been like older sister to me ever since she came living to Avonlea and you can hardly find a better person than Bash. I can’t even imagine not having them in my life, you know. I guess, my hatred for Gil—that idiot shouldn’t overweight my love for them.”

“Why do you even hate each other so much, anyway? I’ve never understood it and you have never explained, no matter how many times I asked you.”

“We’ve always hated each other, Diana. Ever since I can remember, we’ve been at each other’s throats. You know that.”

“Actually, you know what? No. I don’t know that, Anne,” Diana had to know this was a dangerous territory and she usually avoided this topic for her own good, but taking advantage of the situation, she continued. “You two didn’t use to hate each other. Not when we were kids. Sure, there was always that weird rivalry going on between the two of you, but you used to spend time together. We all used to hang out and even though you and Gilbert quarreled quite a lot, it was always in friendly way. I’ve never understood why it all stopped so suddenly. Out of nowhere, you could hardly be in one room anymore.”

Anne stayed silent and she kept looking down at her shoes trying hard not to meet Diana’s eyes. It was obvious there was more to the story and Anne had spent years keeping it solely to herself. She had always felt like it wasn’t that important anyway. It was true that she and Gilbert hadn’t always hated each other that much but they had never liked each other either. He had been a pain in her ass ever since she could remember. Always the one to tease her, to challenge her, to say the stupidest things to her. He knew very well which strings to pull to make Anne angry and one time he had gone too far.

“I’ve never asked you that because I thought you had some serious reasons, but it’s been going on for too long,” Diana decided to continue when she realized that Anne was unlikely to answer. “You’re both in college, you’re both unbelievably smart and you know… you’re both good people. It’s hard to believe you’re still holding grudges for something that happened many years ago when you were kids.”

“I’m not holding grudges, he’s always annoyed me,” Anne started saying, still unsure whether she should tell Diana more. “It’s just… do you remember the end of ninth grade? That formal we had at school?”

“Yes? What does this have to do with anything?”

“We were supposed to go together. Me and Gilbert… I mean, I didn’t like him or anything, but we tied for the first place in class as we always did and we both happened to not have partners, so Gilbert suggested we go together.”

Diana was looking at Anne with a puzzled expression on her face.

“But Anne, you didn’t come to that dance.”

“Yeah, I know,” Anne replied not giving her any further explanation.

“Did Gilbert stand you up?” Diana whispered. 

“He didn’t, unfortunately. We just never made it to school, well, nor did I ever leave Green Gables that night. Some things… were said… and I realized then that I had always been right about him.”

Anne's tone indicated that she didn't want to elaborate any further, but for a change, Diana didn't seem to care about her best friend's wishes.

“I’m sorry Anne, but I still don’t understand. If anything, I’m just more confused. What happened between the two of you?”

“It’s not important, okay? I don't wanna talk about it. The bottom line is that I hate him, and he hates me and us working on something together would be an absolute disaster.” Anne closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, she hopelessly looked at the other girl. “But I can’t let Bash and Mary down.”

“So? You are going to help him, right?”

“I guess,” Anne furrowed her brows. “It won’t be me helping him, though. It would be us partnering on a project for a greater good. He admitted it himself. He can’t really do it without me.”

“Just try to… I don’t know, I’m not asking you to be friends, but try not to kill each other... maybe?” Diana shook her head, silently praying she would survive the following days. 

Anne only shrugged her shoulders and took out her phone. There was a message from Marilla already waiting for her, in which she begged her to work with Gilbert and to be nice to him. “God, are you and Marilla in some “Gilbert Protection Club” together?” she turned her phone around so Diana could see the text.

“No, we’re just both tired of your neverending arguments. You could also start ignoring each other when this all is done, you know. Instead you just keep picking fights with one another.”

“I’m sorry?” Anne’s cheeks turned pink. “He’s the one always vexing me, and I can’t just let him....Anyway, I… I’m done talking about him, okay. I will have to see him way too often now and I don’t need to spend my free time talking about him too.”

She quickly replied to Marilla and started writing a text to Gilbert, who responded almost immediately.

 **Anne:** okay, I’ll do it

 **Anne:** for Bash and Mary

 **Gilbert:** sure. can we meet up?

 **Anne:** i guess. tmrrw, 3pm?

 **Gilbert:** ok, i’ll wait for you in front ur room

 **Anne:** whatever

*****

_Hey,_

_a story club? That sounds interesting. It looks like you are a born writer, aren’t you? It’s amazing that you’ve found your passion so early in your life._

_Oh, I understand that perfectly! When I read or when I’m in the middle of some research (yes, I’m that nerd) the outside world stops existing for me as well. My brother is always making fun of me because I can spend hours just being inside my own head._

_You will be a published author one day! I’m sure of it. I think that moment isn’t even too far away. When it happens, you have to promise me you will dedicate your first book to me as to your first and greatest fan. I will be that guy waiting for the bookstore to open so I can get the signed copy. Anyway, I can’t wait for when you’ll send me that following chapter._

_Are you kidding me? I was in the library today after reading your mail and I couldn’t stop thinking that you may have been one of those people sitting around me. But none of those people seemed like it’s you. I know it doesn’t make sense since I have no idea who you are or what you look like, but I can’t really explain it. You weren’t there, right?_

_I hope I don’t sound too weird._

_Yes, we can absolutely keep emailing each other (unless I scared you away with my last paragraph, in that case I really am sorry. It was nice knowing you)._

_I will update you on my grade, don’t worry haha. I hope your unexpected duties aren’t too annoying._

_How did it go with your roommate? Were they mad at you or something?_

_-B_

Anne started at her laptop screen and she was clearly in shock. She turned to face Diana who was reading a book on her bed.

“It’s a guy. The person who read my story. It’s… a guy.”

“Ha!” screamed Diana as she jumped out of bed and enthusiastically pointed her finger at Anne. “I knew it! I told you so!”

“It’s… a… guy? But it doesn’t make any sense.”

“Why? It makes no difference, Anne.”

“I know, I just… I’ve been convinced it’s a girl. I’ve thought no guy, except for Cole, would get me like that. Not that I know him very well, but he really does seem like a kindred spirit,” Anne said furrowing her eyebrows. After a little while, she shook her head and sighed. “Anyway, I have to go to meet the very opposite of a kindred spirit. Kill me now, Diana.” 

_****_

“I need to be in charge of this. No offense but I don’t think you have very much experience in organizing a party. And I don’t think you can tell a difference between two shades of a colour and we don’t want it to end up being a disaster.”

Anne and Gilbert were sitting in a coffee shop near their dormitory and they were trying to come up with a plan, which would satisfy both of them. They both seemed like they would give anything to be anywhere but there. Anne hated that they were in her favourite coffee shop and as if it wasn’t enough, they were sitting on her favourite spot right next to the window. When Gilbert suggested they sit there, she couldn’t come up with any sensible reason why she’d like to sit elsewhere. To make herself feel better, when Gilbert ordered a cup of Americano for himself, which was also her usual order, she ordered a cup of Cappuccino instead. She couldn't really explain why she decided to do it. Everything about this afternoon was just so frustrating and the newly discovered similarities between her an Gilbert were only adding fuel to the fire.

“Okay, what else can’t I do? Since it looks like you’re listing things.”

“Shut up. I stayed up last night and I came up with sort of a plan. I will make a list of Mary’s favourite dishes and I will prepare them; I will put you in charge of drinks. You’re already nineteen, right? So you can buy some wine, I don’t expect anyone to drink much anyway. Then we’re gonna need soft drinks, ice, don’t buy any cups, we will use our glass ones. I still have to think about decorations but that’s none of your concern. I want it to be romantic, so I can’t discuss this with you because it would end up looking very unromantical and… Why are you not writing it down?! And stop looking at me like that!”

“When I said we should plan it together, I didn’t mean you will plan this whole thing and I will do whatever you say. It was my idea,” said Gilbert visibly annoyed. “Besides, Bash is my brother. Just like I need your help, you need mine. Without me, you wouldn’t even know who to invite and we need to decide on stuff together… Well, except for decorations, I really don’t know anything about that.”

For a minute, they only stared at each other, both of them getting more and more uncomfortable. Gilbert scratched the top of his head and took deep breath while Anne kept looking at him with a hatred in her eyes.

“Look, Anne,” he sighed. “You don’t like me. I know that. You’re not my favourite person either. But we’re agreed to do this for someone we both care about, so can we… I don’t know… try to work together like two grown-ups? You don’t have to be nice to me or anything, but we should at least try to cooperate.”

Anne leaned over the table and their faces ended up being only inches apart from each other. While she knew that Gilbert’s proposal of truce was reasonable and she needed to accept that if they wanted to accomplish anything, every single bone in her body wanted to disagree with him. She hated it, she hated it so much she wanted to scream. Opposite her, Gilbert was becoming more and more restless.

“Fine,” Anne quite dramatically threw herself back, hitting the back of her chair. “But it’s a co-partnership. Don’t think for a minute that you can tell me what to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!  
> I was actually planning to finish this chapter yesterday, but then we hit 200k on petition and I got excited and didn't come back to writing.
> 
> Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for all your kind words, they mean a lot <3  
> Please, leave a comment or kudos, it motivates me to write.
> 
> The next chapter should continue exactly where this one ended, it was just getting too late and I wanted to post this. I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> As I finished writing this just a few minutes ago, it's unedited again. :( Please, let me know if there are any serious mistakes.


	4. what's going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always considered Anne and Jerry to be siblings, so in this fic, I've decided he and Anne met and grew up together in foster care before they were both adopted by Cuthberts.
> 
> I hope you'll like this chapter.

“For the record, I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do. This is what I meant when I said we should cooperate,” Gilbert said more than half an hour later after they both calmed down and started discussing their plans for the party.

Anne had to admit that when she finally managed to silence her inner voice that kept telling her to always contradict everything Gilbert said, working with him wasn’t that awful. However, she would obviously never acknowledge it out loud. They agreed on almost everything when it came to food and drinks they would serve and to say that they were both surprised how easy it went would be an understatement.

“Yeah, whatever,” replied Anne. “Can we move on to the guest list? Should I leave that to you?”

“Well, I don’t think we should make a big deal out of it. I’ve already contacted Bash’s best friends from college, and I think we should call Mary’s friends from Charlottetown… then there’s me and you, Marilla and Matthew…”

“Diana,” Anne interrupted him. “Definitely Diana and her family, and Jerry, obviously.”

“Yeah, of course, that should be… Wait, what about Cole?”

“Cole’s in Paris. How do you not know that? He’s been there for like three months!”

After Cole had left his parents’ house and before he had left for art school, he had divided his stay between Green Gables and Blythe’s household. Why him and Gilbert were such great friends was something Anne had never understood. Especially since one of them was one of her closest friends and the other one was someone she passionately hated. It was a mystery she stopped trying to solve. Instead, she just had to endure it. Cole had tried to make them all hang out on many occasions but even when he had managed to convince them to do something together, it had usually ended up in a disaster.

“Yeah, well,” Gilbert nervously scratched the nape of his neck. “We haven’t really spoken since before Christmas.”

“Why?” Anne was confused. She spoke to Cole regularly and he’d never mentioned anything about Gilbert. She wondered why he would keep something like that from her. No matter how much she couldn’t stand the boy sitting opposite her, she wouldn’t want Cole to lose a friend he considered dear. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“No, I mean… we had an argument,” he said quickly looking anywhere but at Anne and his ears turned slightly red. “I just... can’t believe he’s out of the country and I don’t know about it.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t spoken for that long. It’s been months!” Anne shook her head in disbelief. “What did you even argue about that you stopped talking to each other?”

“Why should I tell _you_ that?” Gilbert’s expression changed from nervous to annoyed as if he suddenly remembered that he and Anne are not friends. “Can we go back to planning? That’s what we’ve come here to do,”

Anne started him, mentally making a note to get an answer from Cole as soon as possible. She told herself she wasn’t trying to be nosy, but she genuinely couldn’t understand what could’ve happened between the two and why she hadn’t known about it. She knew there was no chance to get the answer from Gilbert, and quite frankly, if it was her, she wouldn’t tell him either.

“Right,” she said slowly. “Ehm… So that’s it when it comes to the guest list?”

“I think so. We don’t want it to turn into a big party, do we? Only the family.”

Anne nodded, thinking how it weird it was for him to talk about them as parts of one family. When she pictured family, she had certainly never pictured Gilbert. It was quite a repulsive idea, if she was being honest.

“Sure,” she replied. “I’ll let Barrys know, and uhm… I thought we could do this thing in our barn.”

“In a b-barn?” Gilbert scrunched his face in confusion.

“I know it sounds weird. Just hear me out, okay?” Anne had spent all night thinking about it, and she was convinced that it was the best idea she could’ve come up with. Before she declared truce with Gilbert, she had already had it all planned but since they agreed on cooperating, she had to actually tell him about her whole plan. It made her feel quite uncomfortable.

“There’s this barn right next to the house that is not being used anymore. It’s not very big, but Matthew fixed it last summer and it looks amazing. It’s quite cosy, if I say so myself. And well…” Anne paused as she could feel heat reaching her cheeks. Why on earth was she blushing in front of Gilbert? It’s not like she really cared about his opinion on this. “It’s their wedding anniversary, so I thought it should look somehow romantical. I have a drawer full of fairly lights in all possible shapes and sizes, so I though we could use that for when it gets dark, and we also have those ancient looking lanterns, which I think would look sumptuous. We could also move the tables we normally use for barbecues in summer into the barn, that’s where all the snacks and drinks would be. White sheets, a lot of flowers… it would be so magical, you know in that kind of rustic, romantic style. And there would be plenty of space for dancing and we could make this little corner where we could built a fort so Dellie has a place where she can play. We could also make a flower crowns for everyone, and have I mentioned there would be flowers everywhere? I think I did... I just... I think it would be truly magnificent and just what they deserve.”

Anne stopped talking and she was fully aware of the fact that she probably had a dreamy, passionate expression on her face and that she did something she had never let herself do before. She let her guard down in front of Gilbert. She hated it so much. Unfortunately, when she was excited about something, she couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t not show her emotions. Not even Gilbert Blythe was able to prevent it.

On the other side of the table, Gilbert was quiet. He kept staring at her with slightly parted lips and Anne was getting anxious. Of course, he thought her idea was stupid and she’d made a fool of herself in front the person she loathed the most in this world. How she despised that thought!

“I…” Gilbert started slowly speaking while he was still intensely looking at Anne as though he had never seen her before. “I mean… This sounds amazing, Anne! Truly.”

“Does it?” Anne was dumbfounded.

“Yeah, ehm,” Gilbert cleared his throat and then he continued with different tone, suddenly remembering who he was talking to. “I mean, Mary and Bash will love it… I’m... sure of it.”

“Yes. Yeah, that’s what I thought. So, are we done for now?” Anne replied quickly. She didn’t understand what was happening, the air seemed to have changed somehow and everything was suddenly unbearably awkward. “I’ll put a shopping list together and I’ll text you.”

“Sure.”

“Yeah.”

None of them moved for a good moment. Why was he still sitting there? Anne was getting frustrated. She was planning to stay in the coffee shop and work on her writing. She only hoped he didn’t have similar plans, but what other reason he would have for not standing up and leaving already? 

“So… bye?”

Gilbert looked at her as if he forgot she was still sitting there.

“Uhm, yeah. See you, Carrots,” he shook his head, took out few dollars of his wallet, left them on a table and rushed out of the coffee house.

Anne watched as he left with her eyebrows furrowed, thinking _what the hell has just happened_. As she was waiting for another cup of coffee, she decided that there’s no reason for her to think about the weird behavior of Gilbert Blythe. It would do her no good, the less she would think about him the better. She opened her notebook and started writing.

****

Few blocks away, Gilbert stopped walking, looking unsettled. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it to his ear. “Cole?” he whispered after few seconds. “Can we talk?”

****

_Hi there!_

_Haha, I don’t know if I am a born writer, but I’m most certainly passionate about writing. It does feel good to know that you understand that feeling of being completely consumed by something. Not many people do (so I guess, you’re not the only nerd around here. Don’t think you’re special)._

_Thank you so much for believing in my potential writing career. I’ll make sure to dedicate my first book to you. But first, you will have to explain to my parents, my annoying brother, my best friend and my other best friend why is my book dedicated to some stranger I’ve never met instead of them. Wouldn’t it be hilarious, though?_

_No! I wasn’t in the library yesterday. I guess, your instincts are good. I haven’t been in the library since the day I lost and found my notebook. It’s not intentional, I’ve just somehow always ended up studying in my room or in the coffee shop lately. Why would I think you sound too weird? I’m not exactly the most usual kind of person myself, I'm not here to judge._

_Ehm, anyway, speaking of coffee shops. It’s one of my most favourite places to write and I finished my new chapter there earlier today. I’m attaching it to this email, but I have to apologize because I only made scans for you. I don’t really feel like retyping it into my laptop today. I hope you don’t mind reading my horrible handwriting again. If you do, then I’m really sorry. I will retype it, eventually. I just don’t know when._

_My unexpected duties as you called them turned out to be slightly less annoying as I expected them to be. I found out something really intriguing and I’m planning to find out more about it as soon as possible. Don’t think I’m a nosy person but it concerns someone very close to me so I think it’s important I find out as much as I can._

_Don’t worry about my roommate, she’s also my best friend. She heard some false information about me, and she was slightly upset. It’s nothing serious, we’ve never been in an actual argument for more than few hours anyway._

_-R_

_P.S: I was kind of surprised you’re a guy? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean it in a bad way. Just… do you really like my story? Like… FOR REAL?_

_****_

“So, how it went with Gilbert?” Diana asked later that evening when she was getting ready to go out on a date while Anne was lying down with a thick novel propped against the head of her bed. 

“God, Diana. Do we really have nothing more interesting to talk about?” sighed Anne. “I went okay, I guess. We agreed on not arguing until we’re done with this.”

“Did you, really?” Diana’s whole face lit up. This definitely wasn’t something she had expected to happen.

“Don’t look so excited. It’s for practical purposes, I still think he’s an absolute moron. We just had to try working together, and it kind of worked out. We came up with a solid plan for the party. Stop it, stop smiling at me, Diana. Seriously, me and Gilbert Blythe, we will never be friends. I won't ever happen. Ever!”

“Sure,” her best friend grinned. "You should say..."

“Did you know that Gilbert and Cole haven’t talked to each other since Christmas?” Anne interrupted her.

“Yes?” Diana replied with a small voice. “Cole told me.”

“Seriously?! I… seriously? And no one told me?" Anne stood up abruptly. "What happened between them? Did he tell you that as well?” Anne couldn’t believe that not one, but both of her best friends kept this from her. They even made her look like an idiot in front of Gilbert. Who keeps secrets from their best friend? 

“Anne, please stay calm. I couldn’t tell you and I still can’t. If you want to know, you have to ask Cole,” Diana smiled apologetically. “He swore me to secrecy.”

“But I won’t tell anyone,” Anne objected.

“It’s not my story to tell. Really, ask Cole.” Before Anne had a chance to answer, Diana grabbed her jacket and her purse, bode Anne goodbye with the apology that she’d been already running late, and she was gone.

“Oh, don’t worry. That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Anne murmured for herself and unlocked her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I'm so sorry it took me so a week to write this one, but the uni is keeping me busy. I hope to finish the next one in few days, though. Maybe even tomorrow.
> 
> What do you think was the argument about? Do you think Cole will spill the beans?
> 
> Thank you so much for all your nice comments and for your kudos. They make me wanna write more. <3
> 
> As always, please excuse my mistakes, and let me know if I've made any serious ones.


	5. No Real Answers

The phone call with Cole didn’t turn out to be as fruitful as Anne hoped it would be. He claimed whatever happened between him and Gilbert was personal and none of her business.

“But you told Diana. I don’t see the reason why you can’t tell me, as well,” Anne protested, throwing her hands. She sure didn’t like being excluded out of things.

“As I recall, Diana doesn’t think – and now I’m quoting you – that Gilbert is an absolute moron and a bane of everyone’s existence,” Cole remarked, raising his eyebrows as if he was trying to suppress a smile. “And anyway,” he continued. “We talked it out, it’s fine.”

“How? I mean, as of few hours ago, he had no idea you’re in Paris.”

“Turns out, I’m very popular today and everyone wants to talk to me. Speaking of which,” Cole squinted his eyes suspiciously. “I hear there’s something happening with you two?”

“WHAT? What did he tell you?” Anne whimpered, accidentally dropping a phone on the bed. “I mean…” she started spluttering after she picked it back up. “We are planning a party… for Bash and for Mary. I had to sacrifice myself for a greater good because they mean so much to me and even I have to admit it is not a bad idea that Gil—he had. So I decided that I will endure his company but don’t think for a second that I am not suffering every single time I look at his smug face and I hear his idiotic voice. What did he tell you?”

“What are you getting at?” Cole was laughing and Anne wished he wasn’t on another continent so she could strangle him. “He just told me he asked you to help with the party. Why are you getting so worked out about it?”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“Maybe, but I hate you right now. And I’m still mad you won’t tell me why you argued, I think it’s unfair that Diana knows, and I don’t. I thought we're better friends.”

“It’s not unfair, Anne. It’s just not my place to tell you this.”

“You told Diana… Please, Cole, please,” she begged. “What did he do?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head. “It was a misunderstanding and if I told you what it was about THEN he would get mad me for real. Have you really called me only to talk about Gilbert? I’m offended.”

Anne rolled her eyes but decided not to push any further. She certainly didn’t want Cole to think she was more interested in talking about his argument with Gilbert than about his life in Paris. She was so excited that he got this opportunity to study art and live in the most romantic city in the world. They spent the rest of their call talking about his classes, his new friends and the guy Cole liked but he wasn’t sure whether he should ask him out or it was too soon. Although Anne genuinely cared about everything Cole was saying, at the back of her mind, she couldn’t let the initial intention behind the call go and she kept thinking about it long after they said their goodbyes. She couldn’t rationally explain why it was so important to her, but she decided that being the only one of her group of friends that had been kept in dark about it was simply unacceptable.

*****

_Hey Rosamund,_

_glad to hear I’m not only nerd around. I need more nerd friends so my old friends can stop teasing me about being the only one around. It’s not like there’s no once in my closest circles who’s as much into something as I am, it’s just that I wouldn’t call that person my friend. But that’s not important._

_You could still dedicate your book to all of us – your family and mysterious stranger/ your biggest fan. It would certainly add an interesting element._

_I LOVE YOUR NEW CHAPTER. Sure, I was a little weird reading it as a scan (I know you like handwriting it but it’s seriously stressing me out. BACK UP YOUR WORK, I can’t believe I have to spell it out for someone living in 21 st century.), but you only made me excited for more. Plus, your handwriting is not horrible, stop putting yourself down._

_Have you managed to find out more about that matter that was “really intriguing”? I hope everything’s alright._

_I also had to endure some not really wanted encounters today and god, I’m glad it’s over for now. Is there someone you can’t really stand, but then you think they might be alright and you kind of want to be friends with them but then you realize it’s all for nothing? I have no idea if it makes sense, but I am in this situation and I hate it. Sometimes, people are so confusing._

_-B_

_P.S.: Yes, I am a guy, yes, I like your story. And I am not some old creep, I feel like I should say it for some reason. Although isn’t it what an old creep would say? Are YOU a very talented old creep?_

_*****_

_Hi!_

_I will back up my work one day. I am sure if you keep bugging me about it, I will have to do it sooner or later just get you off my back._

_I HAVEN’T MANAGED TO FIND OUT WHAT IT’S ABOUT. Sorry for yelling but I am SO frustrated. I feel like my friends are keeping something important from me. If every single one of your friends knew about something and they refused to tell you wouldn’t you feel horrible? Yes, it may not really be my business, but I doubt there would be any harm in telling me._

_Don’t even talk about unwanted encounters. I feel like the whole world conspires against me in that matter. It is my experience that when you can’t really stand someone, it is rarely that you change your mind about them. In my case, I will certainly not ever think I could be friends with most people I don’t like. There IS a reason I don’t like them after all. I am not in the position to give a piece of advice, but if you really don’t like someone, trying to understand them doesn’t really work. You usually only end up more confused._

_God, this is depressing, though._

_Anyway, I was thinking... tell me more about yourself. But not the basic stuff, that’s boring. Tell me about your dreams, your guilty pleasures, books, secret loves… I feel like the fact that we have no idea who we really are allows us to talk about all kind of weirdest stuff. Am I scaring you? Am I being too dramatic? I think I'm always being a bit dramatic, tho. I hope you don't mind._

_-R_

_P.S: Why would you even start talking about “old creeps”. No, I am not one and I really hope you’re not one either. Unless old creeps spend time studying in the university library. Ughh, stop putting scary ideas into my head._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I am deeply sorry for not updating for so long. I got super busy with uni and then distance learning happened, which only meant that I got twice as much work. So annoying. But now my exams are over and I am determined to finish this fic. Hopefully, I hope someone still cares about it. :)
> 
> This update is a little bit shorter, but I promise I'm working on more. I'm so happy I finally have time to properly write. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this.   
> Let me know if you find any mistakes, and if you wanna chat you can find me on Twitter as @ginnys or on Tumblr as @ginervaweasley


	6. It's All About Perspective

Next day, Anne and Gilbert kept texting to each other their ideas for the party and to say that Anne felt very strange and unsettled by it would be an understatement. Having Gilbert's name saved with a vomiting emoji wasn’t very helpful and it earned her a couple of questioning looks from her friends who ended up having fun teasing her about it. By the end of the day, she worked hard to not leave her phone lying unattended or with display facing up as she was slowly getting annoyed by their mocking comments.

Texting with Gilbert wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. On the contrary, he proposed some very good ideas for their little wedding anniversary project and Anne was pleasantly surprised, although she would certainly never admit it out loud. She had always been confident that Gilbert had purely analytical mind and any hint of creativity from his side had been just some lucky accident. As much as she hated it, he proved her entirely wrong. She tried to contradict his ideas a couple of times, only so he wouldn’t think she agreed with him on everything, but he left her somewhat amazed by her new discovery about him – who would’ve thought that Gilbert Blythe had romantic bones in his body? Anne was determined to not give much thought to this realization.

Because they were both set to leave for Avonlea on Friday, each of them catching a different train because of their schedules, they decided to meet up for the last time to go over everything they’d already agreed on and finalize their whole plan. Anne had enough of her friend’s teasing her all day and the last thing she needed was for them to see her in Gilbert’s company somewhere in the coffee shop. Since she refused to go to any public place, Gilbert suggested she could come to his room to which Anne replied that she would’ve rather bathe in bleach than ever set a foot there. In the end, she couldn’t come up with a better idea than to invite him over to hers. The thought was unsettling, but Diana was out for the evening and she couldn’t come up with any better place where they could discuss what was necessary without giving her prying friends any ridiculous ideas.

Gilbert came in with a big grin on his face and two big cups of coffee in his hands. Anne didn’t understand why he would trouble himself with a trip to Starbucks, but she decided to not argue, instead she took the cup he was offering her without any unnecessary commentary. Gilbert looked around, taking in his surroundings. Anne’s and Diane’s room reflected both of their personalities – it was a mix of Diana’s simple elegance and Anne’s love for nature and vintage things. Somehow it worked, and just like two best friends, their styles complemented each other in the most beautiful way. Gilbert’s eyes drifted away to Anne’s bookshelf, scanning her remarkable collection which was obviously only a fraction of all of her books that she had thoroughly organized in the room back in Green Gables. For some reason Anne felt like it was a fact that she needed to point out to him.

In the end, they sat down and spent almost an hour discussing their plan for Friday. It wasn’t as awkward as it had been in a coffee shop two days ago and Anne felt almost comfortable. Gilbert talked a lot, enthusiastically explaining his ideas and Anne found herself being curious about this side of him, which was completely unknown to her. They talked and talked until everything was planned to both of their satisfaction. Anne was amazed how well they worked together when they weren’t trying to fight with each other and purposefully contradicting everything the other one’s saying.

Time flew and soon enough, they were done, and the silence fell over them as there was nothing left to discuss anymore. Anne waited for Gilbert to stand up and return to his own room, but the boy kept sitting on Diana’s chair with his head bowed down, nervously playing with his hands. Anne didn’t know what to make out of it. _Should she tell him to leave? Ask him if he needs anything?_

“Ehm, is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked hesitantly, trying hard not to sound rude. That alone was strange because she’d never cared whether Gilbert thought her rude, if anything she was usually rude to him on purpose. Gilbert looked at her, biting his bottom lip as if he was leading a war with himself.

“I…” he started slowly. “Anne, can I ask you something?” He sounded as if he was choosing his words very carefully, which only made Anne more nervous.

“Yeah?”

“There’s something,” Gilbert was looking at his hands again and Anne wondered where his usual confidence disappeared. She wasn’t used to seeing him nervous and it was very unsettling. He took a deep breath. “There’s something I have wanted to ask you about for a long time. I’ve always wondered… and… well, I guess, it’s been long enough since then and you can explain to me… make me understand…”

“You’re not making any sense, Blythe,” Anne shook her head, confused.

“Well, do promise you won’t get mad at me? I just want an answer, because I’ve never understood it and I feel like more than five years is a long time for us to be over it.”

What the hell was he talking about? The only thing Anne wanted in that moment was for him to leave her in her room alone with her confused feelings, as if not understanding why she suddenly didn’t feel that bad in his company wasn’t enough of unpleasantry for her. She raised her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. “Just spill it.”

“Back in ninth grade…”

“Leave the ninth grade alone. How dare you, bringing up ninth grade, Gilbert? We’ve literally just talked to each other without arguing once for the first time in forever and you start talking about the ninth grade… How can you even…” the pitch on her voice was uncontrollably rising. She certainly didn't expect that.

“No!” Gilbert interrupter her. “Please, Anne. I can’t let it go. I tried. Goddamit, I’ve been trying to, but I just can’t make a sense of it. Perhaps… because it makes no sense? Not to me, anyway.” His nervousness was gone, and he threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. Anne, sitting opposite him, was getting red in the face and it seemed like it was only matter of time before she would explode.

“What doesn’t make sense to you, Gilbert? You were there. You caused everything, so please stop mocking me and get the hell out of my room,” she said firmly, trying hard to control her voice so she wouldn’t start yelling. Even though she was getting horribly frustrated, she wasn’t in the mood to become the main source of gossip in her dorm.

“That’s it. I have no idea what I caused. Just… explain it to me? It’s been forever ago, it clearly doesn’t matter to you anymore and I would love to put it finally behind me, too, okay? But it’s kind of difficult when I still have no idea what I did wrong. I tried asking Cole, he said you’d refused to tell him anything. Clearly, the only person who can tell me what really happened is you, so before we go back to never speaking to each other again, I would just… really like to understand.”

Anne felt her anxiety rising in her chest, forming an uncomfortable lump in the throat. She hated thinking about the night of the formal dance back in the ninth grade. It was simply one of the most humiliating things that had ever happened to her and she couldn’t believe Gilbert had guts to bring it up and act as if he wasn’t the whole reason why that whole night had turned out to be one of the worst ones in her life. 

“I don’t get what you don’t understand.” she said, making sure he could hear the venomous tone in her voice. She didn’t want to cry, and she figured the best protection was attack. “You came to my house, you made fun of me, you insulted me, you thought asking poor redhead orphan to a dance would make you a hero or something as if I was some fucking charity case!”

Gilbert started at her at a loss of words. “That…” he furrowed his eyebrows. “That’s what you think? That’s… that’s why you… that’s why you hate me?”

“I hated you before it happened,” Anne snapped, shrugging her shoulders. Gilbert looked at her with a disbelief reflecting in his eyes.

“No, you didn’t,” he whispered. “I… Anne.” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair before taking a deep breath. “Anne, I asked you to dance because I liked you.”

“Sure,” Anne laughed hollowly. “You didn’t like me. I was the only one who intellectually challenged you, so I guess that worked for you or something and made you believe you liked me. If you had liked me, you wouldn’t have done what you did.”

“But that’s the thing, Anne. I didn’t do anything. Excuse me if I’m wrong, we were fifteen so my memory may be a little bit foggy but… I came to Green Gables, we had dinner that Marilla prepared for us and then you threw me out, refused to go to dance and refused to speak to me for the eternity of high school except for some spiteful comments that you’ve grown some accustomed to throw my way everytime you had a chance.” The words were rolling out of him as he was eager to get his side of the story to Anne who was looking at him red in face, breathing heavily.

“Are you… _seriously_ trying to act like… now… as if you… why have you ever brought it up… I can’t… why now… can you just leave, and… for the sake of your brother’s family forget this conversation happened so we can go through this weekend… and then… when we can go back to ignoring each other’s existence… because… the audacity… are you really that unfeeling… I simply can’t believe… I… leave, Blythe… just leave.” She closed her eyes refusing to look at Gilbert for a second longer, raising her arm to point on the doors behind him.

“But I’m just… I’m even more confused than I was before,” he responded wearily.

“Leave,” Anne crossed her arms, still refusing to look at him. “Leave, okay?”

“But…”

“LEAVE!” she yelled and only opened her eyes again when she heard the door close behind him. Wordlessly, she stared at wall. She couldn’t believe Gilbert came to her room and had the audacity to bring out that awful night from almost five years ago and act as if he had never done anything wrong. Was he really so obvious to the pain he caused her, or did he just think he would take an advantage of this situation that forced them to work together to mock her about it? Anne’s head hurt. She hated to think about that day and that stupid dance she had never even attended. Everything about it was so humiliating and heart wrenching that she had never told anyone about the events of the night.

She hated Gilbert Blythe and she hated herself for agreeing to work with him. He was still the same insufferable, spiteful prick she had always thought him to be, who loved to make her life a living hell and who couldn’t ignore the opportunity to remind her of one of her worst days in her life and he was even daring enough to act as if he was the victim of the situation.

*****

_Hey Rosamund,_

_Should I get off your back? Then who will remind you to do things properly? I like to think you have already started backing it up. How long do you want to wait, anyway? Until you lose your notepad again?_

_I would certainly hate it if my friends kept something important from me, so I’m with you on this one. Maybe you should try to find out why they’re keeping it from you? You said it’s none of your business, but what if this knowledge would be somehow hurtful for you? I don’t know. It’s just a thought._

_After all, maybe I have to agree with you that people never change. The worst thing is that in my case the person I wanted to kind of reconcile with is so confusing and I never seem to do the right thing with them. I know they’re not a bad person, I just don’t understand their aversion towards me. I grew to not to like them but at the same time, sometimes, I think there’s just some huge misunderstanding that created this kind of hateful relationship we have. Please, excuse me for being a sentimental idiot, I just can’t really talk about it with anyone I know. I just want to get over it all, but so far, my efforts were quite unsuccessful._

_Oh, I’m truly flattered you want to know all those things about me. And no, you are indeed not scaring me. My dreams? There are so many, I guess I’m already living in one of them, being able to study what has always been my dream and then hopefully, in the future, I will be able to help many people. Other than that, I don’t dare to dream much. There are things, people, I would like to have in my life but who knows what future brings._

_I don’t have guilty pleasures, thank you very much. Everything you could call a guilty pleasure; I am not ashamed of it. Yes, I’m that cheesy. I would even proudly introduce your story to the public and tell everyone how much I love it if you only just let me._

_Secret loves? How are you coming up with those ideas? Hahaha, no, I don’t have any. I’m too busy for that, so my niece is the only girl that owns my heart at the moment._

_What about you? Please, I’m curious._

_-B_

_P.S: Sorry for bringing up creeps. I would totally tell you who I am but you’re the one who doesn’t want to know who reads her story. Needless to say, I would love to know who YOU ARE._

*****

It was almost midnight when Diana came back from her date and Anne was lying on her bed, still pissed about Gilbert. Although the email she got from her secret pen pal managed to cheer her up a little bit, she was too unsettled to reply. She came to the conclusion that as long as Gilbert Blythe was still somehow a part of her life she could never be truly happy because he would always come back haunting her like a ghoul in the closet that is destined to ruin lives of those around him.

One look at Anne was enough for Diana to know something had gone terribly wrong.

“The party is planned, and everything will be perfect. That’s not the reason why I’m pissed,” Anne told her after they briefly discussed Diana’s date and Diana inquired about Anne’s evening. “That’s… It’s just… I hate him so much!”

“But what has he done? If it has nothing to do with the party, then what is it about? I mean… you two certainly didn’t spend more time together than necessary, did you?” Diana sat down on Anne’s bed, facing her best friend with a concerned look.

“No, but… For you to understand this, I guess I need to finally tell you about that ninth-grade dance,” Anne growled. Diana raised her eyebrows, intrigued. After all, she hadn’t been able to get this story out of her best friend for five whole years. “But I’m only telling you this so you can see what an awful person Gilbert Blythe is.”

“But weren’t you still kids when…”

“No, no, no, no,” Anne interrupted her. “If you want to know what happened, you need to listen and not interrupt me, okay? Please?”

“Okay? What does this incident from so long ago have to do with today?”

“Patience, dear Diana,” Anne dramatically exclaimed, covering Diana’s hand with hers and taking a deep breath. “I will come to that, don’t worry. I just need you to listen, because I have never told this to anyone and it’s so hard because I still feel so angry and humiliated every single time I think about it. Not that I think about it often – because I don’t. So… well, as you remember me and Gilbert kind of just agreed to go together to that dance because it made sense for us and as much as I hate to say it, I was kind of looking forward to it. But then – I have no idea if you remember this – but I couldn’t come dress shopping with you and the girls…”

“Yeah,” Diana narrowed her eyes. “You told us you were going shopping with Marilla. She was supposed to take you to the mall in Charlottetown, if I remember correctly, to pick out out a perfect dress.”

“Yes, I lied… I’m sorry. I’ve never told you about this,” a sad smile appeared on Anne’s face. “I felt horribly ashamed at the time. We… the farm wasn't doing very well back then and it took a toll on our income so Marilla simply couldn’t afford to buy me a new dress. I was fifteen, I was extremely upset, even more so when Marilla came home with a dress Rachel Lynde’s daughter wore to prom like ten years before our dance. And they were pink, Diana. Pink! You know how I’ve always felt about me wearing pink…"

"Anyway, I felt like the universe was conspiring against me. I had an old, secondhand dress of wrong colour and if it wasn’t enough Marilla said I was too young to wear make up and she only let me use lip gloss. You can imagine the level of my frustration and the state I was in. When the day of the dance finally came, I wasn’t even excited anymore. Then Gilbert came and we were having dinner at Green Gables, because, well, obviously neither of us could drive and we both loved Marilla’s food, so that was fine. I was even starting to enjoy myself a little bit.

Things went to shit when Gilbert told me I looked beautiful which was a very cruel way to mock me if I’m being honest. But I told myself he was only trying to be polite and I was so determined to enjoy that evening despite looking like a hot pink balloon with an orange wig. When we were about to leave, I went to my room to take my purse and that’s when I checked my phone for the first time in hours… There… I had… several texts from Billy Andrews waiting for me. He basically said…" Anne swallowed hard and took a deep breath again closing her eyes. "He said I cost him a lot of money because he made a bet that Gilbert wouldn’t ask me out but he did – he even posted a screenshot of the conversation he had with him. So… Can you imagine how humiliating it was? He asked me to dance for a stupid bet! And today… today, he had the audacity to ask me what happened that day and why I kicked him out.”

Diana furrowed her brows, staying silent for a minute before she opened her mouth again. “But... that doesn’t make sense, Anne. Gilbert has never been friends with Billy, and he would never do something so… disgusting as placing a bet on asking a girl out.”

“Well, you clearly don’t know him well enough,” Anne crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t make this up, there were screenshot from their conversations. He’s sick and disgusting and I hate him so much.”

“Anne, Gilbert likes you. He plays your game and he acts as if he couldn’t care less but he likes you. He would never do something like this. Text screenshots can be faked, that really doesn’t sound like Gilbert to me.”

“He was mocking me all evening in front of Marilla and Matthew. When I read those texts everything started to make sense. Don’t try to defend him, that’s not why I told you this.” Anne needed her best friend’s support, but Diana was clearly not having any of it.

“And what did Cuthberts think about it?” she asked the readhead. 

“I didn’t told them about the texts, obviously. I told them I got sick from the food,” Anne shrugged her shoulders.

“Anne, this is bullshit. I bet Gilbert wasn't part of this sick joke and he didn't even know about it and that’s why he asked you about it earlier. In fact,” Dina bit the inside of her cheek, avoiding Anne’s gaze. “Anne, if I tell you something, do you promise you won’t mention it to Cole?”

“Do you know why Cole and Gilbert argued?” she asked after Anne nodded. “They argued because of you. Cole was mad at Gilbert because he wouldn’t tell you how he feels about you and Gilbert got angry with him and stopped talking to him. There was obviously more to it but that's what Cole told me, anyway.”

Anne started laughing. “This is what you all refused to tell me? That’s ridiculous, Diana. I would never defend Gilbert Blythe, but I would also get mad if someone was trying to accuse me of having feelings for someone I don’t even like. That’s funny, really.”

“Anne…”

“No, I don’t wanna hear about this anymore. I told you what happened, it was a horrible experience for me, and I will never forgive him because he clearly doesn’t deserve it and he is still the same moron he was all those years ago. Whatever you and Cole think about the way he feels about me is an absolute bullshit and I can’t believe you basically made me beg you to tell me about this. I am done talking about it and I would like to go to sleep now if you excuse me.”

Diana looked at Anne as if she wanted to say something, but instead she stood up and disappeared in the bathroom. Anne turned around, facing the wall and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. In reality, she was still awake long after Diana returned to the room and turned off the lights. Her brain was racing and it wouldn’t shut up no matter how hard she tried to silence her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how this chapter turned out to me 3,7k words long, but hey, it looks like I'm really writing again!
> 
> So we finally know what happened between Anne and Gilbert, but do we really? I hope you enjoyed this long chapter and please make sure to let me know your thoughts about it. 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos <3
> 
> As always, please let me know if there are any serious mistakes, I didn't have much time to edit it.


	7. ...and let the music be your guide

_I swear, you’ll bully me into making a back-up. I hate you, do you know that?_

_Hi, btw!_

_Oh, yeah, that thing my friends were trying to keep from me was a complete nonsense. I thought I was the one with vivid imagination in my group of friends, turns our I was quite wrong. I really don’t know what to do with them anymore. I love them, but… Well, I don’t want to trouble you with my stupid problems, but they are trying to plant stupid ideas into my head… and it’s just frustrating because they are surely not right. It doesn’t matter though; all this will be completely irrelevant soon enough – hopefully, after this weekend._

_If you’re sure that there’s some misunderstanding between you and your friend (??), I think you should just try to talk to them. I know, it’s easier said than done but it’s the best you can do. If that doesn’t work out, maybe they're just not worthy of your attention._

_What exactly do you study? I don’t think we’ve ever mentioned our majors (and I doubt that would somehow reveal our identities lol… or maybe I’m kind of beginning to wonder who you are). It’s nice that you want to help people, that’s such a noble dream. I don’t think many people think that way anymore._

_I fantasize about my future all the time. I guess, that can’t be surprising to you considering I like to make up stories in my free time. But I am also living my dream right now, and since I wasn’t very lucky in the past, I don’t take it for granted._

_There are so many similarities between the two of us. I feel like I’ve known you for years… I mean, I could write some of those things you said myself… haha, it’s weird._

_How old is you niece? This is so sweet!_ _🥺_

_-R_

_P.S: So… as I mentioned earlier maybe revealing our identities wouldn’t be such a bad thing? I wanna know… kind of. So?? You first, though._

_*****_

Anne arrived in Avonlea shortly after noon and she decided to start with the preparations right away. With Matthew and Marilla at work and Jerry still at school, she had Green Gables all for herself and she couldn’t be more grateful. Although Diana was supposed to join her in few hours and Marilla had also promised to help, she was glad she could enjoy some time alone. She would be lying if she said that the events of previous day hadn’t been unsettling for her.

She was sure Diana was wrong. Gilbert and she had always been rivals and it made much more sense for him to have been a part of Billy’s heinous prank than for him to have liked her. She had spent whole night trying to make sense of it. She was sure her interpretation of the events of that night was the right one, but Diana had planted a seed in her head, and she couldn’t get rid of it. If there was even the slightest possibility that Diana’s right, it would mean that Anne had been treating Gilbert unfairly for years. She had never been a Gilbert Blythe fan, but provided she was wrong, even he didn’t deserve such a horrible treatment.

On the other hand, she considered Diana’s claim that Gilbert still liked her completely ridiculous. Even if he had in the past, it was certainly not true anymore.

Anne had no idea whether she should talk to him about it. After the fiasco from the day before, she didn’t feel like opening that topic again and she was dreading the idea that she might have been wrong about everything because she certainly didn’t feel like apologizing to Gilbert Blythe. Letting it go didn’t feel quite right either, but she decided going through with the party and then forgetting about everything was the best she could do.

Despite Anne’s head being preoccupied with all those unwanted thoughts, the preparations went quite well. By the time Diana joined her, she was almost done with all the cookies she wanted to bake, and she was waiting for cake to cool down so she could put everything together and decorate it.

Gilbert arrived few minutes after Diana. After they exchanged very awkward greetings, Anne accompanied him to the barn where Matthew had already moved around the tables so they were lined up along the back wall of the barn, ready for Anne to set up a buffet and they were creating a lot of space for dancing. Anne had brought her boxes full of fairy lights and decorations earlier in a day and they were now stacked in the corner waiting to be hung up. She blurted out a few sentences about the decorations and Jerry, who was supposed to come back from school and help Gilbert set up everything, and she was trying to get out of there as soon as possible. She didn’t dare to look at Gilbert once, the only thing she wanted was to be back in the kitchen with Diana. Although Gilbert was untypically polite, Anne wasn’t sure how she should act around him after their latest encounter and especially, after everything Diana had told her last night.

“You’re back already?” Diana looked up from the cheese bites she was preparing with a confused expression the moment Anne closed the kitchen door behind her.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Anne snapped, grabbing a tube with icing. “I only went to show him the barn so he can start working.”

“Yeah, but haven’t you talked… you know, about yesterday?”

“No, Di,” she leaned down, carefully applying the icing on the cake with her back turned to her best friend.

“We actually travelled here together… Gilbert and I, we run into each other in train,” Diana started. “And we talked…”

“Not now, okay?” Anne turned abruptly, interrupting her friend, and throwing her hands up which resulted in a good amount of icing ending up spitted all over the floor. Marilla was going to kill her. “Can we not talk about him? I just want this night to be perfect for Bash and Mary and then I never want to talk to or about Gilbert Blythe ever again.”

She wasn’t exactly telling the truth, though. She wished she could forget about everything, but deep down it was still bothering her. Promising herself she would let it go was one thing, but carrying this promise out was a completely different matter.

*****

To say that the party was a success would be an understatement. Mary and Bash, whom Gilbert drove to Green Gables under a false pretence, were absolutely blown away. Mary’s eyes were welling up and even though, Bash tried to joke about Gilbert being a melodramatic moke, Anne could see that he was also touched by this unexpected celebration.

Everything came together perfectly. Almost everyone invited showed up and Anne couldn’t be happier as she was standing next to a snack table watching the scene unfolding in front of her. Mary and Bash were dancing with their friends, Marilla and Matthew were in a deep conversation with Diana’s parents and Diana was showing something on her phone to Jerry. In the corner Minnie May and Delphine were jumping around and Minnie May was clearly enjoying her position of being the older one of the two as she was ordering the toddler around.

Anne ended up having a very interesting conversation with Jocelyn, one of Mary’s closest friends from Charlottetown, who was a very fascinating woman and Anne never had missed an opportunity to talk to her whenever they met. This time, though, she ended up regretting it.

As they were talking, she didn’t notice Gilbert who was standing alone nearby, hands in his pockets watching their friends having fun on their makeshift dancefloor. Unlike Anne, Jocelyn spotted the boy right away.

“Tell me, why are you two kids standing here like two lone wolves instead of dancing like those old idiots over there,” Jocelyn said looking somewhere over Anne’s head. Anne turned around at the same time as Gilbert turned his head towards Jocelyn, their eyes briefly met and Anne could see the tips of his ears turning red.

“Ehm… well, I’m having fun talking to you,” Anne laughed awkwardly, trying to turn Jocelyn’s attention back to their conversation.

“Don’t be ridiculous, girl. Why would want to talk with the boring, old me when you two can have fun on the dance floor. You deserve it, c’mon. Gilbert,” she looked on a boy who was trying hard to pretend he’s not listening to them. “Don’t be ridiculous and ask Anne here to dance!”

“No,” Anne retorted as she felt blood rushing into her face. “I mean… I’m not really fan of dancing.”

“Yeah, ehm…” Gilbert babbled nervously staring at his feet. “It’s not exactly my preferred activity… And… ehm, I guess, Anne also prefers to stay here... I mean… not dancing.”

“Oh, stop it,” Jocelyn shook her head. “I swear, the youth these days… I bet the both of you can recite your textbooks, but you know nothing about having fun. You tell me you two have organized this whole thing, but you haven’t danced once?”

And just like that she grabbed Anne’s hand with one of hers and Gilbert’s with her other and she gently but quite firmly shoved them forward, next to the other dancing couples. Anne’s face was in fire and she was thankful there was no mirror around, so she didn’t have to be mortified by seeing how red her face was. Gilbert was awkwardly shifting his weight and throwing freaked out stares in Jocelyn’s direction who was watching them with a satisfied smirk on her face.

“Ehm… so I guess… one dance?” he blurted out, his neck turning the dark shade of pink.

“Yeah, whatever. One dance.” Anne put her hands into his and they started clumsily moving in the fast rhythm of music. However, the song ended few seconds after they started dancing and the barn was suddenly filled with the sweet, slow melody which impeccably matched the romantic atmosphere of the party. Everyone around them got closer to their partner, the lanterns and fairy lights flickered above their heads while Anne and Gilbert were uncomfortably facing each other, neither of them knowing what to do. Anne silently cursed the Spotify playlist they put together.

Jocelyn was still watching them with an amused expression and Anne rolled her eyes not planning to embarrass herself by walking out of there so she did the only other thing she could do in this situation and she put her hands on Gilbert’s shoulders. He looked down at her, startled by this unexpected development. His eyes dilated as he carefully placed his hands on Anne’s tiny waist. Anne felt the shiver go down her spine, completely bewildered by this unknown sensation.

“Ehm… Are you sure? Do you want to keep dancing? Because we don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” whispered Gilbert, his expression somewhat freaked out.

“Let’s just get over with it, okay?” Anne mumbled, trying hard to not focus on Gilbert’s palm softly placed on her back. “One song.”

“Wait… Have you, ehm,” he cleared his throat, looking at her with his eyes full of something Anne couldn’t quite decipher. “Have you had a chance to talk to Diana?”

Anne squinted her eyes and the annoyance was creeping back into her voice. “What? Of course, we’re best friends, we talk all the time. Now, can we just not talk please?”

Gilbert’s face fell a little, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he gently pulled Anne closer so she couldn’t see his face anymore and she had no choice but to tighten her arms around his neck. Being close to him only intensified the electricity radiating from his body. Anne had danced with boys before and she had even enjoyed it, but this time, it felt different. The distance between them was disappearing as if they were subconsciously drawn to each other and Anne felt the chills crawling up and down her spine. She was confused by the way her body reacted to his and she couldn’t understand why she was enjoying that moment so much. She felt intoxicated and she was trying hard to find a logical explanation behind it. She had no luck, though, as her brain seemed to be refusing to cooperate.

What was that? Although Anne had briefly dated in the past, she was quite a stranger to physical attraction and she definitely wasn’t prepared for feeling this way in Gilbert Blythe’s arms. Sure, he wasn’t ugly, Anne had even found him kind of attractive when she didn’t think about how annoying he was, but this was unexpected and if she had had the capability to think clearly in that moment she still wouldn’t have had any idea what to do about it.

The music played and they swayed in its rhythm forgetting about the world around them. If someone had been watching them, they would have certainly thought they were the pair of lovers and not two people who swore to make each other’s lives hell.

The last notes of the song faded, and the loud bass of the following track brought them back to reality. Abruptly, they stopped moving, as they were staring at each other, both of them startled. Anne felt herself drowning, she was dazzled by the sight of the boy standing in front of her, and her mind couldn’t make sense of anything. It took one of Mary’s or Bash’s friends to accidentally bump into her while they were dancing around them for her to completely wake up from that strange trance.

“I—” Anne stammered, suddenly looking down on her feet. “I… I have to… ehm, yeah.”

She walked away trying her best not to run out of the barn. Instead, she made her way to the snack table and started furiously filling in half emptied bowls of snack, trying to keep herself occupied. What the hell had just happened? Why had she let herself dance with him? Why hadn’t she just told Jocelyn she hated dancing? Why hadn’t she told Gilbert not to touch her? Why had she thought dancing with someone she couldn’t stand was a good idea?

The only explanation was that she had certainly not expected to feel this way after one stupid dance. She turned her head to look at Gilbert but the boy was nowhere to be seen. She breathed out as she gripped the edge of the table. Everything was fine. _There’s no use to worry about something so trivial_ , she thought. _It is normal to be attracted to someone and Gilbert is conventionally attractive person. I only wasn’t ready for this, that's all._

Not long after, she spotted Gilbert talking to Bash in the corner, but she did her best to avoid him for the rest of the night.

*****

Avoiding Gilbert didn’t mean she didn’t spend whole night thinking about what she called an unfortunate dancing accident. As if she already hadn’t been confused by everything when it came to that impossible boy. She was sleeplessly tossing in her bed all night, infuriated by the reason of her insomnia.

As the sun was rising, she decided there was no point in still trying to fall sleep. She desperately wanted to talk to someone. It was too early in the morning so Diana, who was most likely soundly sleeping in her parents’ house, was off limits. Anne opened her laptop, and some feeling inside was urging her to write an e-mail to her new friend. There was, although, not new reply from him and she thought two long messages in a row might scare him away. Disappointed, she closed her laptop and did the next best thing she could think of to take her mind off yesterday. She took her notepad and went down to the kitchen to write.

The hours went by, Matthew and Jerry went outside to work on a farm, Marilla left to go grocery shopping and Anne was still eagerly writing. Her hand started to hurt a little, but she was untypically driven to finish her chapter.

Not long after Marilla left, someone repeatedly knocked on their back door. Despite sitting right opposite it at the kitchen table, Anne was unaware of the sound until the door opened causing her to jump out of her chair. She sighed as she saw Gilbert in the door, a confused expression on his face and Dellie in tow.

“What are you doing here?” she blurted out. “Hi Dellie.”

“Ehm, we…” Gilbert cleared his throat, taking his eyes off Anne’s notepad opened in front of her. Anne hastily closed it and shoved it under the bowl of apples next to her. “Dellie, she… she says Matthew promised her he would show her the goats or something?”

“Oh, well,” she smiled at Dellie, ignoring the toddler’s uncle. “He and Jerry have already left to farm, but I’m sure you can catch them if you hurry.”

“Yeah, well… okay. I… Thanks for your help yesterday, by the way. I wouldn’t be able to put this all together without you,” Gilbert said with a slight smile, still looking somewhat puzzled.

“No problem. Have they already arrived in the hotel?” Anne’s curiosity about Lacroix’s surprise trip won over her desire for Gilbert to leave.

“Yes,” he nodded. “They left early in the morning and everything’s fine, they’re loving it there. I’m sure they’re gonna have a nice weekend, unless bash stops checking up on Dellie every half an hour, of course.”

Anne chuckled. “Who would’ve thought he’s a helicopter parent of the two?”

“I know, right?” he laughed. “As if I have never watched her before.”

“Well, the whole weekend is a lot of work,” she exclaimed, making a mistake as she looked up at Gilbert and her unwelcomed feelings from the day before came rushing back. She couldn’t let one stupid dance make her forget about the years of loathing this boy. Only because dancing with him was kind of nice and very confusing for her hormones, it didn’t mean she was going to forget about everything he had _most probably_ done to her. She had sworn she would erase Gilbert Blythe from her life as soon as the party was over, and this was exactly what she was planning to do. “Anyway,” she tightened her lips in a strained smile. “I think, Matthew has some business later, so you should hurry if you wanna catch him.”

“Yeah, ehm, of course,” he took Dellie’s hand ready to leave when he stopped halfway to the door and turned back. “Did Diana…”

“I have things to do,” Anne stood up abruptly and the pitch of her voice was unusually high. “Sorry, I can’t talk and you two should really hurry up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse, I got stuck in the middle of writing it. I swear if ever write another fanfic, I won't start publishing it after I will have written most of it so I can update regularly.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you think <3
> 
> As always, please let me know if there are any mistakes (especially in this one, as I wanted to post it asap, so I didn't have time for editing, I hate myself, I really do.)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> This is actually the first time I decided to publish a fic and I feel super weird and nervous about it.  
> It was kind of a painful beginning but I have few chapters already planned and I promise they won't be as rushed as this one.  
> Let me know what you think and whether I should continue. <3
> 
> English is not my first language and I usually don't have much time to edit so I apologize for all the mistakes in the text.


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